Focus ST First Drive (Taking Stabs at the GTI)

[rx4brdm]

Actually looked at the Focus a week before I purchased my GTI. At the time I wasn't even considering a GTI for that matter due to the fact one of the cars I sold to a customer while selling Vdubs came back to the dealership 3x's on a tow truck. I worked there for 2 months! After reading some articles and watching some reviews I changed my mind and checked it out.

In my opinion the Focus and the Mazda 3 were no comparison. I almost felt claustrophobic in the Ford and just don't care for the way the Mazda drove, not a whole lot of Zoom-zoom for me. If I were to spend that much for a Ford product it would have to have 5 liters of displacement and 8 cylinders or it's not worth it imho.

 

[GTI-PL1]

Do me a favor, go to a ford dealership and try to go through the whole process of getting a car. After that you will realize why you never want a ford lol. I went to one last week to test drive a mustang and my experience was horrible plus their cars are pretty cheaply made imo.

 

[MBorVW]

Euro cars will ruin you for other brands. They just feel right.

 

[rx4brdm]

Depends on the dealership. I walked all over the guys at a dealership down in San Jose but the asshats up here at one of the dealerships in the Sac area were a totally different story.

Trying to get me to sit down and show me the numbers on the Focus... I don't think so. If I didn't like it, I didn't like it. I don't care what the price is.

I probably wasn't too picky about the interior when I looked at the 'Stang, my current car was a 2006 Subie WRX TR. The 5.0 premium I was looking at was definitely better than that and I forgot all about it when I stepped on 414 hp.

 

[IHazTurbo]

Interesting that they are giving away a GoPro. I guess they know that buyers will want to record their racing exploits.

Well, this and the fact that it's free marketing for them. The more videos that get uploaded about the abilities of this car the more people will turn toward Ford that may not have given it a thought. It's just like the marketing ploy that they used with the Fiesta's brought over from Europe for 100 people to blog about and go to special challenges for a year. My brother is thinking about this car and I actually really want him to consider it because I think it would be great fun to go to autox's with him and see how we compete with each other. While we've been been checking out cars for him I've sat in the focus. I like the interior (though not as much) and the controls in the car are laid out fairly nice. I think Ford has done so much improving with the last 2 model years and I think this is their next step toward taking the market back over. VW is doing a lot of great things to keep their product great but Ford is becoming bold.

 

[IHazTurbo]

+1. Nail on the head. We bailed them out and get what? If Ford ended I would have zero tears. I will not buy a US car. They dont compare at all. Quality is better- wow.

Should have always been there. They took the US consumer for granted and after multiple bailouts we get zip. When KIA and Hyundai are doing it better there is ZERO hope.

I hate when people don't know their facts. Ford never took the bailout so don't hold that against them. When the government said, we give you a bailout then we have control over what you make from here on out they said a big F-you and took themselves back to reality on their own. Chrysler and GM did.

 

[McQueen77]

It's better looking than a GTI?
Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess...

But seriously, drive your GTI down to a Ford dealer.
Park it beside a Focus if possible - and compare the cars side by side.
Pics are deceptive.
In the flesh, the cars are not in the same league.
Believe me.

i agree. why is everyone getting so defensive about fords anyway? wow. even the lowest end VW Jettas seem nicer when parked next to a ford, besides a 5.0 or something. one ford i have mad respect for though: The Crown Vic police interceptor. Totally badass car. Hands down.

and people saying there is a lot of 'hate' on this thread are tripping out. hate is a strong word. wait, i take that back. i spent 5 days recently in a 2011 ford fusion rental and i hated that piece of shit.

now this is a nice ford.

 

[nouse4aname]

They're giving away the GoPros to encourage people to post racing vids...that void your warranty.

 

[Blaylock1988]

I hate when people don't know their facts. Ford never took the bailout so don't hold that against them. When the government said, we give you a bailout then we have control over what you make from here on out they said a big F-you and took themselves back to reality on their own. Chrysler and GM did.

This.

 

[Ray1340]

I had 2 fords, never again.

 

[johnny_p]

To everyone saying the Focus is a POS, please google control blade suspensions.

Ford revolutionized front wheel drive compact cars by introducing a system that changes the rear toe angle when the suspension is compressed. They called it control blade. Suddenly your boring front drive car can wag its tail out like a rear drive car can. It was such a huge difference that it helped the Focus win car of the year in 2000.

Not too long afterwards, a bunch of chassis engineers from Ford were hired onto VW. And then we get the VW MK5 Golf/Jetta rear suspension with..... a system that changes rear toe when the suspension is compressed.

Focus:

VW:

In essence you're all driving a derivative of a 2000 Ford Focus chassis.
Now that we got that out of the way. The interior really isn't like other Fords. This car was designed by Ford Europe, and it shows. My friend recently bought a loaded brand new 2012 Focus, and I have to say the interior is just as nice as my GTI. Yes, its laid out differently and not as conventional looking, but its very comfortable and pleasing.

This car is going to be a beast. Same power as a Golf R out of the box. Manual only. Recaro seats available.... They aimed square for the GTI with this car and I think when some car magazines review it, it will come out on top. It should be that way though, its a new-for-2013 model while the MK6 GTI was new in 2010.

I agree about the looks though, I'm not fully on board. I think it looks like a catfish. Black hides that.

 

[Toasterthief]

You guys do realize that the interior in a rental ANYTHING can't be considered to be representative of the interior in anything but the lowest (and depending on the car/manufacturer, even lower) end models, right? Right?

 

[McQueen77]

You guys do realize that the interior in a rental ANYTHING can't be considered to be representative of the interior in anything but the lowest (and depending on the car/manufacturer, even lower) end models, right? Right?

wrong. my ford fusion was loaded - leatherette, nav, etc.. and it was just terrible on so many levels. terrible vehicle. i was used to the GTI and it seemed like a piece.

JohnnyP makes a good post. Probably the best one on here because god knows im just talking shit but at the end of the day, still wouldn't roll in a Ford. which essentially means nothing.

 

[DaveSTR]

I hate when people don't know their facts. Ford never took the bailout so don't hold that against them. When the government said, we give you a bailout then we have control over what you make from here on out they said a big F-you and took themselves back to reality on their own. Chrysler and GM did.

So FORD took 5.9BILLION$ in a severe down economy, when you are not selling cars, and also was more than happy to see CASH FOR CLUNKERS using tax payers money is not a BAILOUT front or back door? LOL! HAVE ANOTHER DRINK.

The only thing FORD avoided was the SALARY CONTROL that comes with the other bailout the others took that affected EXECUTIVE salaries. You know the guys making millions who were LOSING BILLIONS. You have zero understanding of the 'real' world and political world Ford were and still are in. Keep believing the hype amigo!!

Ford were FOR the bailouts before they postured against them. Read what I posted. They took 5.9Billion in 2009. The heart of the crisis and called it re-tooling. The only tools they used were the US PUBLIC funds! Factcheck.org has it all in print!

Here's a nice excerpt - Mullaly babbling(CEO at the time)
It’s true that Ford was not “bailed out by our government,” as Chris says. However, the company’s president and CEO testified that his company would suffer if Congress did not pass legislation to provide financial support to the ailing auto industry. He urged Congress to pass the bill.

Mulally, Dec. 5, 2008: In particular, the collapse of one or both of our domestic competitors would threaten Ford because we have 80 percent overlap in supplier networks and nearly 25 percent of Ford’s top dealers also own GM and Chrysler franchises.

He also asked Congress to authorize a credit line of up to $9 billion for Ford in case the economy got worse and the company needed it.

Mulally, Dec. 5, 2008: In addition to our plan, we are also here today to request support for the industry. In the near-term, Ford does not require access to a government bridge loan. However, we request a credit line of $9 billion as a critical backstop or safeguard against worsening conditions as we drive transformational change in our company.

Ford then went on to knock the bailouts as a nice shot at its competitors for competitive gain, all the while keeping those nice FAT executive salaries. Ford, the ultimate took a bailout, but didnt take a bailout, lying sack o crap US truck maker that happens to make cars...sometimes.

 

[littleazn248]

Whereas the ST exhibits some playful back-end slip, the rear of the GTI stays planted, which is a less entertaining way to get around a corner.

Tell me that when its late at night raining and you just wanna go home.

IMHO the GTI brings much more to the table. The GTI carries a much more subtly aggressive look. It's not shouting "Look at me!!!" constantly begging for attention. It's great for when you just wanna get home without being challenged by others. Next the GTI has heritage, it's been around forever! So while many people have heard of a GTI many will say whats a Focus ST? Lastly (I hate to be stereotypical) but the Ford name is kinda known to be cheap, with the exclusion of the Ford GT. But, when I first bought VW I was thinking hippies in the Samba Bus and the Beetle so iono lol.